Between 1970 -1973 with the studio albums Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Trilogy, Tarkus and Brain Salad Surgery, ELP created some of prog rock’s most seminal and enduring music with their battalions of musically adventurous material framed by world class musicianship and the powerful vocals of bassist Greg Lake. Now with the band’s catalog being reissued as special […]

And now, an archival interview with Randy Meisner, conducted by Ken Sharp a few years ago… Working with the likes of Poco and Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band, Randy Meisner found international fame as a founding member of Eagles. An immensely talented bass player and versatile singer/songwriter, Meisner delivered the band’s 1975 smash million seller, […]

This is the conclusion to last month’s interview with Mike Love of the Beach Boys — get caught up with Part 1 here, and enjoy the rest below. Rock Cellar Magazine: What’s the back story behind the song “Happy Birthday Mike Love”? Mike Love: I was in India studying with the Maharishi and The Beatles were […]

Reflecting back on Jimi Hendrix’s career, one marvels at how productive and creative he was in a short span of just a few years. By the time Hendrix formed Band of Gypsys with long-time pal Billy Cox and drummer Buddy Miles, he was moving in a different direction stylistically, shaking the foundation of his artistry and […]

Decades after the release of Dio’s early ’80s albums, in particular, Holy Diver and The Last In Line, those recordings are widely recognized by music fans and critics alike as towering achievements in ’80s hard rock. Helping carve out the metallic fury of those landmark alums was Northern Irish guitarist Vivian Campbell, whose tough and strident playing and fierce acrobatic solos […]

“Mudcrutch’s whole approach is like a power band,” Roger McGuinn, the founder of The Byrds, tells me when I catch up with him after seeing him in New York City with Tom Petty’s “other” band. “They’re more like Rolling Stones than Beatles. It’s a powerful, punchy band.” But McGuinn, who tours the world solo these […]

Producer George Martin was thrust head first into the eye of the hurricane when The Beatles performed a series of now historic concerts held at The Hollywood Bowl in 1964 and 1965. Surrounded by thousands of unruly screaming Beatlemaniacs, he witnessed first-hand the mania, excitement and fever pitch generated by the Fab Four, an unforgettable […]

For over 55 years, Mike Love has been a faithful steward of the Beach Boys, the ultimate cheerleader championing their timeless legacy around the globe. He’s the lead vocalist on signature classics I Get Around, Surfin U.S.A, California Girls, Do It Again, Be True To Your School, Little Deuce Coupe and countless others and a natural […]

Outspoken and brash, arrogant and opinionated, profane and vulgar, supremely narcissistic and sexist, are among the colorful descriptions both the public and media foist at KISS’ founding member Gene Simmons. Acutely aware of how he is perceived, Simmons even named his last solo album Asshole. When meeting with the “God of Thunder,” one will notice […]